Rural Arcadia
by CharlesTheBold
Summary: Having joined Joan as workers for God, Grace and Luke are ready to save the world. So why has the Almighty advised them to go on summer vacation instead? Sequel to REVELATION OF JOAN. Now complete. Please R&R.
1. What Am I Doing Here?

**Rural Arcadia**

_(Author's note: This is a sequel to "The Revelation of Joan", but the Revelation story needn't be read first. The important thing from that story is that Luke and Grace are now in on Joan's secret and have agreed to go on divine missions themselves. This story is set about a month later.)_

_(Disclaimer: I have no rights to the Joan of Arcadia story or characters. My only motive in writing this story is to have fun and maybe share it.)_

**Chapter 1 What am I doing here?**

Grace looked outside the farmhouse window as a woman on horseback herded the cattle into the barn, churning up dust. Some people might have found the scene charming or romantic. Grace could only think of how much dirt there was down there, and worse, compared to her neighborhood in Arcadia.

"Hi, Grace," came a voice, and she turned around to see her boyfriend standing in the door. "Settling in?"

"Physically, yes; mentally, no. Luke, what are we DOING here on a farm?"

Luke glanced down the hallway to make sure they were not being overheard, then stepped in the room and lowered his voice. "Because Cute Boy God asked us to visit my Cavalo cousins on their farm."

Grace knew that perfectly well. "But did he say why?"

"No. Joan says the missions always make sense after the fact, seldom before."

"I _so_ understand Joan much better nowadays. All those assignments from God that she couldn't explain. We're be lucky if we don't all end up in Crazy Camp."

"You could have turned down the hint. The Boy said we always have free will."

"Yeah, well, I owed him a favor for rescuing my Mom. Next time I may notbe as cooperative."

They glanced out the window again. The horsewoman had closed the barn door and was riding away.

"Why did your cousins let me come?" went on Grace. "I'm no relation to them. They know we're not sleeping together, because we asked for separate rooms. Do they just want another hand to help with shoveling up all the crap out there?"

"Chill, Grace," said Luke in sudden annoyance.

"_What _did you say?"

"I said, chill. Look, I know you have a jaundiced view of the world, and I know that it often turns out to be right. But you have to accept that some people, like my cousins, simply want to be nice to you."

With anybody else, Grace might have continued the argument. But she loved Luke and knew that he was in the right at the moment. "I'm sorry, Luke. But you're in a bad mood too."

"Yeah. Figuring out what the Boy wants is mystifying me, and I hate not knowing what's going on. If I can find a secluded spot, I'll call Joan on my cell phone and see if she has any ideas. After all, she's been doing this for two years."

"If you do find a secluded spot, mark it. We may need a substitute 'biology closet' down here."

Luke laughed, and the two kissed.

Grace looked out the window one more time before going down to dinner. The sun was setting. In Arcadia the view of the setting sun was always blocked by the house of the neighbor across the street, but here she could see it glowing on the horizon. She had to admit the effect was beautiful, something that Adam or Mrs. Girardi would love and try to encompass in their art. But it was unlikely that God had sent her down South just for a moment of beauty.

At dinner she met the entire Cavalo family. Though they were Mrs. Girardi's cousins, they encouraged Luke to call them Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jean, and let Grace do the same though they were no relation to her. They had one kid of Luke's age, named Brian, who seemed vigorous but quiet. Most of the talk was inquiring about other relatives: whether Joan was completely recovered from last summer's illness, whether Aunt Olive had recovered the use of her legs after her stroke, and what Kevin's new wife was like. Grace was amused at Luke's attempts to convey the essence of Sister Lily. She herself said little: she had to be careful not to say anything snarky, and she couldn't think of anything else. Brian Cavalo asked where "Diana" was, and from his tone Grace gathered that he had rather a crush on Diana. His parents replied that she had gone to town to get some feed for the horses, and would probably eat there.

Around 9:00 Grace retreated to the extra room the family had assigned her. Fifteen minutes later a young woman entered, whom Grace recognized as the horsewoman from the barn. Close up, she was a blonde of impressive height and vigor. "Hi. I'm Diana Bauer. I work for the Cavalos"

"Grace Polk."

"I understand that we'll be sharing the room during your visit."

Grace looked at the room's one bed with some concern, but Diana seemed to read her mind. "Don't worry about your space. I'll use a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor."

"I don't want--"

"Don't worry, I do it all the time. So. Tomorrow I'll show you around the farm. Ever ridden a horse before?"

"No. I'm a city girl. If you consider Arcadia a city."

"Even cities have riding stables and parks."

"I was never interested. I mean, cars were invented a hundred years ago. Horses are just expensive toys." Oops, that was snarky. But Grace somehow wasn't thrilled at the idea of placing her butt on some animal's back.

"Do you think cars will still be around a hundred years from now?"

That question threw Grace for a loop. "Huh?"

"Cars need oil. It took millions of years for oil to develop, and look how much we've depleted in a few decades. Do you think it will last?"

"Um, no. How did you--?"

Diana laughed. "Do you think I'm a country bumpkin just because I don't live in a big city like Arcadia?" She pointed out a laptop in one corner of the room, something Grace had taken for granted. "I can surf the Internet as well as anybody else, and subscribe to science magazines."

"Sorry. So you think people will give up cars and go back to horses?"

"Not entirely. Not enough horses to go around, and if they did, can you imagine how much manure that would involve? But maybe society will allocate horses to those who need them, and the rest will learn to make do."

"I don't know about that."

Grace found herself enjoying the conversation immensely. Not because Diana agreed with her on many subjects, but because she made arguing fun. None of Grace's close friends -- Luke, Adam, Joan -- ever talked to her that way. Luke always wanted to avoid conflict and mollify her, while Joan and Adam were wrapped inside their own little worlds.

Somehow the topic got around to origins. "My ancestors were Polish Jews," Grace explained. "They were driven out by the czars around 1900."

"Like FIDDLER ON THE ROOF?"

"I guess. I don't know the details."

"Polk doesn't sound like a very ethnic name."

"Um, no. The original name was Polonski. We changed it to fit better in America."

"That's not a fashionable attitude nowadays. Everybody talks about roots."

This was getting awkward. The fact was that her parents had decided to go back to the original name about five years ago, and Grace, who had been angry at the time over her mother's alcoholism, refused to cooperate. It seemed so petty now, but "Polk" was in all the school records and would be hard to get changed. Grace changed the subject.

The chatter continued until she got sleepy. Grace couldn't remember all the subjects they talked about, but she was careful to avoid two: her mother's drinking problem (now safely in the past, according to Cute Boy God) and her meetings with God himself.

Diana's last comment from the sleeping back was "Fine. Tomorrow we'll get you up on a horse."

Grace's last two thoughts were: _I don't remember agreeing to that_. And: _Sorry I haven't done your will yet, God, but I still haven't figured out what the hell it is._

(TO BE CONTINUED)


	2. Horses and Hackers

**Rural Arcadia**

**Chapter 2 Horses and Hackers**

As Joan had instructed him, Luke kept a sharp eye out at breakfast. What he saw was a pleasant family gathering, one that was actually more harmonious than those at home. Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jean worked together to run the farm; they didn't show the differences in temperament and philosophy that sometimes created rifts between his own parents. And since there was only one child, there was no sense of sibling rivalry.

The farmhand, Diana Bauer, was also at the breakfast, and she seemed almost part of the family. She addressed her employers as Jonathan and Jean, and the suggestions she made about the farm were respected and taken.

"Grace says that you're a whiz with computers, Luke," she said. "Maybe you can help Jonathan with his spreadsheet program. The original programmer moved to the city."

"Um, thanks. I'll take a look at it today."

"But this is your vacation, Luke," said Aunt Jean. "You shouldn't have to work."

"It's all right. I enjoy dealing with computers."

They settled on evening as the time for him to look at it, so that the "work" wouldn't interfere with daytime activities. If it wasn't for the central mystery of wondering why there were here, Luke thought this vacation would be quite enjoyable.

As they were clearing off the table after breakfast, Luke and Grace found a moment alone. Grace whispered: "I learned from Diana of a place we can meet at. It's the storage shed out the back door. It's used for winter storage, empty in summer."

"OK." At school they often exchanged endearments in the biology closet, to which Luke had the key because he had volunteered to keep it in order. If Ms. Lischak suspected that he put it to other uses, she hadn't let on yet.

They met there a few minutes later. "We need to talk--" Luke began.

"Let's snog first."

"I don't know if we have time."

"The old five-minute rule, OK?"

Five delightful minutes later, Luke disengaged himself. "I got Joan on the cell last night. She's as puzzled as we are about what the mission is about. But she says to keep our eyes open for some problem. Like, she was riding the bus one day and noticed a young woman who seemed very upset. I turned out that her kid was dying of leukemia. Joan apparently made their last weeks easier."

"What a downer. But we've already met everybody who lives here, and they're all so happy and healthy that I could scream."

Luke shrugged. "That's all she could suggest, to be alert. What's on the agenda for today?"

"Somehow Diana roped me into taking a riding lesson once she finishes morning chores. And I don't even like horses. What's so funny?"

"You seem to be the only person I know who can go on vacation and then do something you don't like."

"Yeah, I'm lucky that way."

"What time did she give?"

"About 9:30."

Luke looked at his watch. "We better get started then."

They hadn't been to the stables before, but Brian had pointed them out to the visitors earlier. Grace and Luke headed in that direction.

"We must be approaching the right spot," Grace said sourly. "I can smell the horse crap from here. And it's not pleasant."

"Conditioned response," commented Luke.

"What?"

"Animal wastes contain a lot of bacteria," Luke said, "plus chemicals harmful to the animal, which is why animals have to get rid of them in the first place. We're conditioned to find them unpleasant, just as we're conditioned to like the smell of nourishing food. But manure is good for plants. I suppose that if plants had noses, they'd say it smelled good."

Grace stared. "Dude, did anybody ever tell you that your thought processes were weird?"

"Yeah, Joan always has."

Before Grace could think of answer, Diana rode around the corner of the stable on an impressive steed. She hopped off on reaching the visitors. "This is Pegasus, my favorite, and the most obedient animal in the stable. Do you know how to mount a horse, Grace?"

"I've seen it done enough in movies in TV. Left foot in the left stirrup, swing the right leg over."

"Good. Try it."

Grace tried. The first couple of times she didn't hop high enough, and her right foot kicked the horse, which didn't seem to notice. The third time, she overcompensated, and described a sort of semicircle in the air. In the end her rear hit the saddle with a resounding smack. Luke was inclined to laugh, but one look at Grace's face implied that she'd kill him if he did.

"OK," said Diana. "Put your right foot in the other stirrup. Now just sit, and get used to the feel of being in the saddle, while I lead you around."

"Is that the standard way people give lessons?" asked Grace.

"Not really. It's my way, though." She took the reins and led the horse and rider away.

Luke, watching them retreat, marveled at the way horse and rider fit together so well, almost like a three-dimensional jigsaw. What a fortunate accident of evolution. Of course, if they hadn't fit so well, mankind might have found a different animal to ride, but what animal fit the bill better than the horse?

About fifty yards away Diana turned around and the group came back. Now Luke could see Grace's face, which had a peculiar expression on it.

Back in front of the stable, Diana led the horse back in the original position. "OK, now try dismounting. Basically it's the mounting process in reverse."

Grace tried it. But in the midst of the action she jerked her foot. The stirrup was no longer supporting her center of gravity, and she lost her balance.

"Grace!" Luke called out. He rushed forward but realized he was nowhere near enough to help.

Diana caught the girl, by some miracle. A second before she had been holding Pegasus's reins, yet somehow she got in the position to break Grace's fall and lower her to ground unhurt.

"Better try that again." She advised. "You know what they say about falling off a horse."

"Yeah, you have to get back on again. But give me a minute to catch my breath."

"OK. I'll go riding for a few minutes."

She hopped on skillfully and galloped off, leaving Luke and Grace to talk. "You certainly looked odd sitting there in the saddle," said Luke. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"There's been a lot of inflation since that expression was invented."

"All right, I'll give you a quarter."

Grace snorted. "Partly, I was embarrassed. Here I am, almost 18 years old, and Diana was leading me like a little girl on a pony ride."

"Well, that matched your equestrian skills, didn't it?"

"Oh, shut up. The other thing -- " Grace looked thoughtful.

"Yes?"

"I've never brought it up before, but I'm not used to being touched. I was in rebellion against my parents for years, so no hugging. No brothers or sisters, no pets. Few friends except Adam, who understood me --"

"You certainly don't have a problem touching me in the biology closet," Luke said, grinning.

"I had to ease into that. Remember the silly 5-minute rule? And that contract? I had to tell myself that I was in control."

"But today you were in contact with a horse's body," said Luke, catching on.

"Right. My legs could feel the body heat, the movement of the muscles as it walked -- I'm not used to that." They heard the sound of hoofbeats and Grace looked to one side. "Diana's coming back for more. Clear out, will you? If I'm going to make an ass of myself, I don't want an audience. Isn't there a computer program that you should be working on?"

"Yeah, OK. He kissed Grace and walked back to the house.

Luke's cousins let him set up the laptop on the kitchen table. The computer program belonged to a world completely different from the stable, all clean, organized, and scentless. Looking though it, Luke was amazed at the complexity: dozens of resources being allocated to dozens of farm products, each with a price tag attached. What had ever led to the "country bumpkin" image of farmers? This was a well-run business.

It took some time before Luke could, so to speak, see the forest without being dazzled by the trees. "It looks like there's been a lot of improvement over the last two months, Uncle Jonathan."

"Yes, I think we can thank Diana for that. She started working here about seven weeks ago, and she's been wonderful. I keep offering to raise her salary and she turns it down."

Luke looked at the figures some more. "I'm puzzled. The 'grain produced' column doesn't match the 'grain sold'".

"Oh. That's because we donate some of our grain to help fight famine in other countries."

Luke looked at the numbers in a new light. "It looks like almost 10 of the total. Tithing?"

"Not precisely. We don't go to church very often. But we feel a debt to Something -- call it the land, or good fortune, or the nation, or the universe. Anyway, donating the grain settles the debt."

Apparently Jonathan Cavalo had the same ambivalent attitude toward religion as did his cousin Helen, Luke's mom. But whereas Helen kept changing her mind toward or against a return to the Church, Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jean seemed to have found their own compromise.

And they had done it without Luke's help. So why was he here?

"So what's the problem that you wanted me to look at?"

"I want to get the best balance of crops. But the only way I can find it is to run tests over and over, and I'm still not sure I've hit the best combination."

"I'll try to reduce it to a formula, then see if there's a way to maximize it mathematically. If so, I can program it in." It would be helpful, and fun, but rather anticlimactic. It couldn't be the reason that he had been sent down here, and what about Grace? As if thinking her name had conjured her up, Luke spotted his girlfriend out the window, walking toward the farmhouse with an unusually cheerful expression. "Um, do you mind if I put that off until later in the day, Uncle Jonathan?"

"Not at all. I don't want to monopolize your holiday. Besides, we'll be starting lunch in about half an hour."

Luke put away his notes and slipped out the back door, hoping that nobody spotted his eagerness.

As Grace walked up, Luke nodded his head toward the storage shed. Grace rolled her eyes.

"Dude, keep in mind that I've been riding in the summer heat for more than an hour, and I need a good shower to wash off the sweat. Mine and the horse's. But then, you're the one who philosophizes about stinks."

"I won't complain. So did the lesson improve after I stopped jinxing you?"

"Yeah, Diana had the key idea. When riding a horse, don't treat it like a machine that you're driving. Think of it as another mind, which you want to communicate your wishes to. Then it got to be fun. I'm starting to appreciate this vacation, finally."

A moment passed, and -- "I have a depressing thought," said Luke.

"What is it?"

"Maybe God's purpose in sending us here was simply so that we could have enjoy ourselves."

"And that's bad?"

"Yeah. Because it's probably to balance other missions that we're going to get in the future. We may have some real unpleasant tasks ahead."

Grace mulled that over. "Now _I'm_ depressed."

(to be continued)


	3. The Dirty Work

**Rural Arcadia**

**Chapter 3 The Dirty Work**

The next day it was quite hot, and the visitors decided to stay indoors. Luke worked on his cousin's spreadsheet and Grace played with Diana's computer, with the latter's permission. Toward midday she saw Aunt Jean struggling with a heavy bag of seed outside, and went outside to help.

"Thanks, Grace," said Aunt Jean, mopping her forehead. "You're a thoughtful girl. Enjoying your vacation?"

Grace was not experienced at small talk, but managed. "Yeah. Diana's teaching me horseback riding."

"Too bad Luke's sister couldn't come, too. Joanie. I remember her from a visit years ago. Do you know her?"

"She's one of my closest girl friends." Actually her only girl friend, since Glynis scarcely counted, but Grace didn't want to admit that. "But she had that horrible episode with Lyme Disease last year, and didn't want to risk coming into contact with ticks again."

"I understand. Still, it's odd," mused Aunt Jean. "She gets bitten in the midst of a city, yet I work on a farm for years and stay perfectly healthy--"

Whereupon she fainted.

The place was in an uproar for several minutes as everybody does to and fro reacting to the crisis. At one point, Luke and Grace bumped into each other and quickly exchanged whispers.

"Do you think this is the mission? Helping out in the emergency?"

"What help are we? We don't know anything about illness."

"Dunno. Keep our eyes open, as Joan said."

Eventually everybody gathered at the car.

"I'll drive her to the hospital in Raleigh," said Uncle Jonathan. "Brian, you stay here--"

"I want to stick with Mom."

"All right." He apparently didn't find the point worth arguing about. "Diana, I'll leave you in charge, then. You know where all the keys are."

Diana touched Aunt Jean on the forehead, maybe checking her temperature. "Right."

"We'll help run the place," said Luke.

Finally the car pulled out of the farmyard and started the long drive to the city. Diana looked around. "Now, I know we're upset about Jean, but chores have to be done. It's not like putting off dusting for a while; animals gotta eat on schedule."

"What can we do?" asked Grace.

Diana grinned.

"I _knew _that I'd end up doing this sooner or later," said Grace, staring with disgust at the contents of her shovel.

"Yeah, well, with all three of us working at it, we can get this over with in a hurry," muttered Luke, looking rather sick.

"Ha! I thought you were the one who had developed a philosophy about the relativity of manure," teased Grace.

"For there was never yet philosopher that could endure the toothache patiently," chanted Diana. As they stared at her, she added, "Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I remembered the line from the movie, back in the early nineties."

"Before our time," said Grace. "But you're the real philosopher. Tell us why cleaning up after horses is better than cleaning up after cars." She remembered the amusing argument in their room, her first day here, and wondered if Diana would rise to the occasion again.

"People don't really 'clean up' after their cars. They just let the wastes dissipate into the atmosphere, where they accumulate as air pollution. And they do nothing in the atmosphere but accumulate. And because it's invisible, and has a neutral name like 'exhaust', people don't think much of it. As for dung; well, it's unpleasant to work with, but at least you can collect it and use it as fertilizer. People have been doing that for centuries without wrecking the ecology."

Luke, had not experienced Diana's odd style of argumentation personally before, stopped and thought about it.

"Interesting. Open and closed cycles. Instability and stability. We think of modern transportation as something that could last forever, but --"

"Shovel, dude! Or this chore will last forever!"

They were about done when Diana's cell phone rang and she fished it out of her overalls. It was an odd contrast seeing her hold a manure shovel in one hand and a dainty cell in the other. "Hello -- yes -- yes -- that's wonderful -- yes, I'll tell them." She clicked it off. "Jean will be all right. Dehydration, probably from working too long in the sun. They got her fluids balanced, and they want to observe her overnight."

"It's too bad that they had to drive such a long way to get a simple diagnosis." Luke said.

"It's the price of living a distance from a population center," observed Diana. "What else can we do?"

"Maybe some day we'll have a machine that can diagnose health problems on the spot."

"Science fiction," scoffed Grace.

"Lots of science fact began as science fiction."

Eventually they got the mess where it needed to go, and exited the stables with relief.

"Now we got a problem," remarked Diana. "Three of us, but only two showers."

"You take one," said Luke. "Grace and I can share the other ones."

"In your dreams, dude."

"Actually, it does sometimes in my dreams. But we can play Rock/Paper/Scissors to see who gets in first."

Grace was tempted to ask whatever happened to "ladies first", but didn't want to put herself in the position of the "lady". Instead they tried the game. Although Luke usually lost to Joan, he triumphed over Grace.

"OK. I'll get on the computer while I'm waiting, and Email Joan. She can't smell me all the way to Arcadia."

As it turned out, there was a long Email from Joan to read first, and it required reading between the lines. The trio had agreed some time ago never to make direct reference to their secret, in case some outsider got access to their Emails.

_From: says you fell off a horse yesterday. Wish I were there --"_

(very glad you weren't, Girardi. I'll kill Luke)

_"--Nothing much happening in here in town. Haven't heard from You-Know-Who lately. Your parents seem to be doing OK, though of course they don't want to talk to me about it. We should just have faith--"_

(she was referring to Grace's mother's alcohol problem. God had assured Grace that the worst was over, hence Joan's vague remark about faith)

_"--Mom is thinking of entering an art contest at the end of the summer. Dad is still investigating the vandalism at the church and synagogue. I wish we could tell him our theory, but we've got no proof--"._

It was more than a theory; a certain Ryan Hunter had boasted of his guilt to Joan. But she had no witnesses, and a reputation for odd whims. The trio thought that Grace and Luke had been brought into the secret precisely so that they could help Joan against Hunter, but apparently God was in no hurry, judging by their assignment here.

Grace finished reading and clicked Reply.

_"We had some excitement today. Aunt Jean got sick and they took her to a hospital; they say she'll be all right. Luke and I stayed behind to help with chores--"_

She was _not_ going to admit to cleaning the stables.

_"--We were some help, but no big --"_

Translation: Grace didn't think it fulfilled their mission in coming down to North Carolina. The purpose of the mission was still a mystery.

(TO BE CONTINUED)


	4. Et Ego in Arcadia

**Rural Arcadia**

**Chapter 4 Et Ego in Arcadia**

_(Author's note: the title is a Latin catchphrase meaning "I am also in Arcadia". I'm not sure what it meant in the original context, but I couldn't resist using it as the title for this chapter. You'll see why)_

The vacation continued. Aunt Jean was confined to the farmhouse bed for a time, but with five other people to divide up the chores, they never got as onerous as on the day of her swoon.

On the very last day, late in the morning, Luke got an idea. He confronted Grace on the path outside the back door.

"Grace, I think I've figured it all out. Let's go to the storage shed -- I don't want anybody to overhear."

"I've got a better idea. See that grove of trees? She pointed across the Cavalo's fields at a distant patch of woods. "Brian says it's a wonderful place for a picnic, and nobody will bother us out there."

Luke looked. "It's too far to walk there and back, in the summer heat."

"I know. I thought I'd ask Diana to loan us Pegasus. He's strong enough to carry both of us. Fix us a lunch, and we'll meet in half an hour."

Twenty-five minutes later Luke was back, carrying two lunch bags, and feeling nervous. During all that teasing of Grace, the day of her first riding lesson, Luke had sort of forgotten to mention that _he_ had never been on a horse himself.

A sound of hoofbeats, and Grace rode up. She was normally a bit intimidating, and the effect was vastly increased seeing her atop a powerful steed.

"Good, you've gotten the lunches. Put them in the saddlebags, and hop on."

The saddlebags part was easy. Grace wiggled her foot free of the left stirrup, and Luke swung himself up behind his girlfriend, without mishap. Since he was behind her, she couldn't see his expression of combined relief and apprehension. To make sure that he stayed on properly, he put his arms around Grace's waist, something that he enjoyed doing anyway.

Grace started off slowly, apparently making sure that Pegasus could handle their combined weight properly. Then she urged their horse into a gallop. Luke desperately held onto Grace. In some of his favorite science-fiction stories people had ridden rockets at thousands of kilometers per second, but somehow that never seemed as fast as the ride he was on now.

Finally they reached the grove, and Grace reined in Pegasus. Luke suddenly realized that he was unsure how to get off. He reached his foot toward the stirrups, lost his balance, and found himself sliding off the horse to the side. In a panic he tried to anchor himself by grabbing the only object in reach -- Grace. He ended up getting the wind knocked out of him twice: first, when he hit the grass; secondly, when Grace landed on top of him.

She rolled away and burst out laughing. "Oooooh, wait 'til Joan hears about this!"

"Do you have to tell her?"

"Tit for tat. You told her about my little accident during my first lesson."

"Hey! Our horse is wandering away! With our lunch."

"Let it. He probably just wants to graze a bit. I don't think he'll wander too far away from me. We have a sort of bond."

"Yeah. That sort of fits my theory."

"So what's the theory?" She was still lying on the ground, but she propped her head up and regarded him with some amusement. "If you sound impressive enough, I may forget that little tumble."

"OK. God didn't send us down here to help our cousins, though we chipped in when we were needed. We were sent to help us."

"We need help? Aside from your equestrian skills?"

"I think God made it clear that he wanted me to use my mind and do research, but the field of research was wrong. I've always been drawn to physics, which focuses on the fundamental problems of the universe. But I realize now that the problems important to the human race are in other fields, like biology and chemistry. Pollution. Growing enough food to feed the world. Fuel. Getting medical treatment. Now if he had just told me in Arcadia to drop physics and take up chemistry, I might have resisted. But now that I've gotten closer to nature, I've seen what's needed for myself."

"It sounds great. But it doesn't explain why I was sent here."

"Yeah, that's a separate idea, and -- um -- I don't think you're going to like it."

"Try me."

Luke regarded the girl lying in front of him. Her normally short hair had grown during the summer, and the wind had mussed it during her swift ride. Most girls might find that dismaying, but to Luke it made her more Grace-like. The surrounding grove of trees enhanced the image. Luke had loved Grace for a year, but never had she looked more beautiful. And was he about to throw all that away by being too frank?

"All right. A few days ago, you said that you weren't used to being touched. I think that's a symptom of a more extensive problem -- you have trouble relating to people. There are a few people that you love and care for -- me, Joan, Adam. Otherwise you usually don't care what people think, and push them away. I understand how it started -- your awkward relationship with your mother. But how to end it?"

Grace's face got stony. But it was too late to back down now.

"I think that's why you were sent here. First, so that you could meet people like my cousins who are hospitable to strangers to whom they owe nothing, and learn to respond in kind. That's on a social level. On a more emotional level, you temporarily acquired a pet that you could bond with -- Pegasus."

She didn't blow up. But she got defensive.

"That wasn't God's doing. It was Diana who dragooned me into horseback riding and talked about empathizing with the animal's reactions. How would Diana know the significance all this touching business?"

"Because I know everything."

The two turned in surprise to see Diana standing there, leaning against a tree. She could not possibly have walked or ridden here; they would have seen her approach. But Luke wasn't surprised.

"You're _Him." _Luke said.

"Or _Her_, at the moment," said Diana. "Apparently my name didn't give me away."

"Name?" repeated Grace.

"Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon," said Luke, who had read enough astronomy to pick up that fact.

"More to the point," said Diana, "She was Diana the Huntress, a virgin goddess, the symbol of strong young woman who want to assert themselves instead of being dependent on some man. You ought to be interested in that, Grace."

"Doesn't all that pagan stuff bother you?" asked Grace, characteristically deflecting a personal remark with an aggressive question..

"No, mythological symbolism is a wonderful way of expressing difficult concepts. Even the medieval Church realized that, and exempted Greek myths from the usual warnings about "false" gods. Did you know that Pope Julius II hired Raphael to paint a picture of the Greek gods and goddesses, and it's still hanging in the Pope's office today?"

"Could we discuss something a little closer to home?" asked Luke. "My cousins say that you've worked for them for a couple of months, long before Grace and I got here. So either you tampered with their memories, or you had some purpose here other than to meet us."

"Your cousins deserved some divine aid. Their generosity in donating their food overseas instead of selling it for more income was hurting their farm on their long run. So I presented myself to them as a drifter in need in work, and fixed things up for them. As for altering memories, I never do that. It would interfere with free will. I could have figuratively waved a magic wand and turned you into a chemist, Luke, or tampered with your emotions, Grace, but no. I preferred that you learned the lessons on your own, and you have." She walked off into the trees.

"Cowgirl God. Now we've seen everything," said Grace.

Luke scanned the trees for Diana, but could not see any more. Perhaps She had simply decided to stop manifesting herself here. "No, I don't think so--"

(THE END)


End file.
